If you’ve got diverticular disease (DD)/Diverticulosis, you may be unlucky enough to experience diverticulitis. Don’t know the difference? Check out my post on Diverticular Disease/Diverticulosis Vs Diverticulitis. Diverticulitis is an inflammation or infection of one or more of the diverticula (pouches) in your bowel. Diverticulitis can vary in severity and can go from being a mild flare up, to an infection so severe that it can carry life-threatening complications. So, what can you do if you suspect you may be getting a flare up?

For a start, symptoms of a flare up can include:

• abdominal pain/discomfort
• high temperature/fever
• painful bowel movements
• generally feeling poorly (nausea, headache, stomachache)
• diarrhoea/constipation
• loss of appetite
• Change to stools (excessive mucus, blood, huge change is regularity or stool type)

If you are experiencing some of the symptoms above, it’s a good idea to prepare for a flare up by doing the following things:

DO:

• drink lots of water – 2-3 litres a day will help flush your system and keep you hydrated. It may also help relieve constipation.
• Try a clear liquid diet – eliminating solid foods and dairy from your diet for a day is the best way to rest the bowel and give time for the inflammation to go down on its own.
• Keep track of your temperature – on a notepad, note down your temperature every couple of hours so you can monitor any changes. Please note that diverticulitis does NOT always cause high temperature/fever.
• Rest – Take time to relax and rest as well as removing yourself as best you can from stressful situations. Sometimes a duvet day and a few extra hours sleep can help the body heal.
• Listen to your body – Remember that our body usually knows what is best for it. For example, if you’re tired and want to sleep, do it. If you have no appetite, don’t eat just because it’s dinner time and someone has said you ‘should eat something’.
• Take paracetamol-based pain killers to relieve the pain if necessary. This include brands such as Panadol in the UK or Tylenol in the US.
• Track your day using a Diverticular Disease tracker.
• Seek advice from a medical professional – If you are in a lot of pain, have a very high temperature or feel very unwell, it’s a good idea to seek medical advice from a professional. This may include booking an appointment with your GP/PCP, Gastroenterologist/GI doctor or even visiting the local A&E/ER.

If you suspect you may be experiencing a flare up, there are a few things you should avoid doing in order to not make things worse.

DON’T:

• eat high-fibre foods – If you suspect a flare up, it’s best to go for a clear liquid diet, but if you want to try solid food, you should stick to low-fibre/low residue foods such as white bread, chicken breast, white pasta or rice.
• Take NSAIDs without approval from a medical professional – NSAIDs are not recommended for people with diverticular disease because they can increase the chance of bleeding from the diverticula or increase the risk of perforation.
• Take Codeine-based painkillers without approval from a medical professional – codeine is known for causing constipation and so can worsen the infection if stools are not passed through the bowel.
• Eat large portions – if you decide to eat, stick to small portions that won’t overwhelm the system.
• Take anti-diarrhoea medication without approval from a medical professional – stopping diarrhoea can be a bad thing since you may be keeping infected waste inside your bowel and allowing the infection to become more severe.

These tips and tricks may be able to help you rest the bowel before medical treatment is required. However, if your symptoms become worse or do not subside, it’s important to seek advice from a medical professional.

If it turns out antibiotics are required, there are a number of things you could be prescribed. For example, common antibiotics include: Ciproxin, Flagyl (metro), Co-amoxiclav, Augmentin and several others. However, Ciproxin and Flagyl are the ones most suitable for those with a penicillin allergy. Please note that some of these antibiotics have some significant side-effects and you should make yourself aware of these by reading the leaflet or discussing it with your doctor before you take them.

In a more severe situation, you may even be admitted to hospital to receive treatment for diverticulitis. Here, they will usually give you antibiotics, fluids and pain relief intravenously. You can read about what I like to pack in my hospital bag here.

What symptoms do you experience before a flare up? Have you managed to treat a flare up without antibiotics? How did you do it?

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